“She died because we’re Wards. We were taken because of y—” His hand wrapped around my throat, cutting off my air supply. “Finish that sentence, daughter. Say it,” he said in a deadly whisper, pressing his fingertips into my flesh. My brain screamed at me to let it go. To not say it. I’d never seen him like this. He’d never hit my mom. He’d never laid a hand on me. He’d never threatened me. I’d never so outwardly defied him either. Guess there was a first time for everything.
